Prepaid gas or like meter.



F. H. BOSTOOK.

PREPAID GAS 0B. LIKE METER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1a, 1908.

1 ,058,7 1 6. Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAP" cuuwAsmNa'roN. L c.

TTED STATES PATENT OFFI 3E.

FRANCIS HENRY BOSIOCK, 0F NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

PREPAID GAS OR LIKE METER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS HENRY Bos- TOOK, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Nottingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Prepaid Gas or Like Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to prepaid gas or like meters, and refers to improved delivery or valve controlling mechanism which is actuated by the action of a coin passing down a coin chute on its way to the receptacle provided for the same. The mechanism indicates the amount of gas prepaid and still unconsumed, and counting mechanism for indicating the number of coins inserted,'so as to check fraudulent use, may be combined with the same.

teferring to the drawings, Figure 1. is an elevation, and Fig. 2. a plan showing prepaid delivery mechanism constructed according to my invention applied to a gas meter. Fig. 3. is an elevation showing details of construction.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

According to this invention the meter is provided with a preferably vertical coin chute A (see Figs. 1 and 2) formed with a sector shaped opening A (see Fig. 1.) on one side, into which the lower member B of a lever B B projects, so that a coin passing down the chute A must push aside and oscillate said lever. The lever B B described is pivoted at B in bearings B secured to the chute A, and its return movement is effected by means of a weight B on its upper member B as shown, or a spring as preferred.

The lever B B carries escapement pallets C, which engage with the teeth of an escape horizontal spindle E carried in bearings 1n a bearing frame F, secured within the up per part of the meter. This escape wheel D is connected by means of epicyclic gearing to a toothed wheel G (see Fig. 2.) which is mounted loosely onthe same spindle E, as the escape wheel D. The wheel G is in turn connected to the registering mechanism of the meter by gearing which is hereinafter described, and 1t is turned in the reverse direction to the escape wheel D by the said registering mechanism when gas is being supplied, but is at other times stationary.

wheel 1). mounted loosely on a preferably Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 16, 1908.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913. Serial No. 438,692.

The epicyclic gearing previously referred to for connecting the wheels D and G, is preferably comprised of three miter wheels which are shown more clearly in Fig. 2, that is one D secured on the side of the escape wheel D, another G secured on the side of the wheel G, and a third H for connecting the two former. The third wheel H is carried on a radial axle H secured to the spindle E, and said wheel H can therefore rotate on its own axis and also move about said spindle E, and in the latter case it carries the spindle E with it.

The escape mechanism described is actuated by means of a clock spring J (see Figs. 2 and 3) acting on thespindle E. This spring J is situated between the bearing frame F and a disk K situated on the rear end of said shaft, the inner end of the spring being connected to the shaft and its outer end to the frame F. The sprin J is set so that it will turn the spindle E 1n the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, when the escape wheel D is released by tripping the pallets O. The disk K on the spindle E is provided with a crank pin K engaging the valve lever L and closin the supply valve whenever the spindle E is returned to its normal position, in which it is shown.

If preferred a cam or other suitable device may be employed to act on the valve lever L instead of the crank pin K the spindle E mayalso be actuated by a falling weight instead of the spring J if deallows the latter, which hastwelve teeth, to

make one twelfth of a revolution. The

wheel G being attached to the wheel G which is either stationary or movingin the reverse direction to D, the movement of the latter will cause the wheel H to roll on the 'wheel G and move the spindle E in the same direction as the wheel D but only one half the distance.

the supply valve lever L and the valve re- This movement releases mains open until the spindle E has been returned to its normal position by the rotation of the wheel G in the reverse direction to the escape wheel D as previously described,

when the reverse action will take place, the

I by a movement of the former and closed by the latter, through the intermediary of said gear.

It will be understood that if twelve coins were passed through the chute A in succession, the wheel D would make a full revolution and the spindle E half a revolution, and that the wheel G would have to make a full revolution in the reverse direction to D, in order to return the spindle E to its normal position again and close the supply valve.

The wheel G is connected to the registering mechanism of the meter by means of a crown wheel M and pinion l 1 mounted on an axle M carried by a bracket M secured to the fram F. The crown wheel M gears with a pinion O on a shaft 0 which is geared to the registeringmechanism, while the pinion M gears with the wheel G, so that as the gas passes through the meter and operates the registering mechanism, this wheel G is turned in the reverse direction to the escape wheel D, and through the intermediary of the epicyclic gearing returns the spindle E to its normal position again and closes the supply valve, while the escape wheel remains stationary. As the escape wheel D is let off a number of teeth equal to the number of coins inserted, the wheel G must vbe turned in the reverse direction to the escape wheel D and through the same space as the latter before the spindle E is returned to its normal position again and the supply valve closed, it follows that th amount supplied for each coin inserted is determined by the ratio of the gearing which connects the wheel G to the registering mechanism, and the wheel and pinions M M O are arranged as shown, so that the gearing can be readily changed to suit the price of gas in any particular district.

It will be understood that the escape wheel D is always turned in one direction by the action of the spring J on the spindle E, and the latter is returned to its normal position by the rotation of the'wheel G in the reverse direction to the escape wheel D,

and that this action re-winds the spring J for actuating the escape wheel and maintains the balance.

The amount prepaid and still unused is indicated by a hand or pointer P on one end of the spindle E, moving over a fixed scale P attached to the bearing frame.

A coin counting mechanism of any suitable description may be employed, and such mechanism may be operated by the same coin actuated lever as that previously described, or a second one situated in the same coin chute and either above or below the former one. Or if preferred counting mechanism of any suitable form may be connected to the escape wheel, the said mechanism being adapted to record the movement of said wheel and thus indicate the number of coins inserted.

The advantage of the arrangement described is that the controlling mechanism is actuated by the weight of a coin in the act of falling, and as the latter falls straight through the chute without a check, it is not likely to lodge or jam and put the apparatus out of action.

Any well known device may be employed in connection with the coin chute to check or divert coins of a less size than that for which it is designed, so that they will miss the lever B. Means may also be provided for preventing the lever B from being worked by an instrument inserted in the chute.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a prepaid gas or like meter, the combination of a gas supply valve, a valve opening and closing device, motor mechanism for actuating th latter, gas supply registering mechanism, an escape wheel, coin actuated escapement pallets for controlling the action of the said wheel, and an epicyclic gear train connecting both the escape wheel and the gas supply registering mechanism to the valve opening and closing device so disposed that the valve opening and closing device and the escape wheel are turned forward by the motor mechanism to open the supply valve, and the valve opening and closing device is turned in the reverse direction or backward by the gas supply registering mechanism to close the valve and wind up the motor mechanism, without turning back the escape wheel or affecting the motor driven in the forward direction substantially as described.

2. Ina prepaid gas or like meter, the combination of a gas supply valve, a valve opening and closing main axle, a device thereon to act on. the valve, motor mechanism for turning the axle forward, gas supply registering mechanism, an escape wheel, coin actuated escapement pallets for controlling the escape wheel, an epicyclic gear train the intermediate or epicyclic wheel of which is carried by an axis secured to the main axle and the two outer wheels which are mounted on the main axle connected to the escape wheel and the gas supply registering mechanism respectively whereby the main axle and the escape wheel are turned forward by the motor mechanism to open the supply valve, In testimony whereof I have signed my and the main axle is turned backby the name to this specification in the presence of gas registering mechanism to close the valve two subscribing Witnesses.

and Wind up the motor mechanism Without FRANCIS HENRY BOSTOCK. turning back the escape Wheel or affecting Witnesses:

the motor driven in the forward direction H. G. SHELDON,

substantially as described. J. B. JAMsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

